Pernod Ricard: Combined Shareholders’ Meeting of 6 November 2015

PARIS--()--Regulatory News:

Press Release - Paris, 6 November 2015

In summary

  • All the resolutions have been adopted
  • Dividend: € 1.80 per share
  • Ratification of the co-option of Ms Veronica Vargas as a Director, renewal of the directorship of Ms Nicole Bouton and appointment of Ms Kory Sorenson as a Director
  • Renewal and appointment of the members of the Board Committees (Board held after the Shareholders’ Meeting)

Pernod Ricard’s (Paris:RI) shareholders held their Combined Shareholders’ Meeting (ordinary and extraordinary) today, chaired by Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO, to approve the 2014/2015 consolidated and parent company financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2015 and to vote on the resolutions submitted to their approval.

Dividend: € 1.80 per share

The shareholders set the cash dividend at € 1.80 per share for the 2014/2015 financial year. An interim dividend payment of € 0.82 per share having been paid on 8 July 2015, the balance amounting to € 0.98 per share will be detached on 16 November 2015 and paid on 18 November 2015.

Ratification/Renewal/Appointment of Directors

The Shareholders’ Meeting ratified the co-option of Ms Veronica Vargas as a Director, renewed the directorship of Ms Nicole Bouton and appointed Ms Kory Sorenson as a Director for a term of 4 years.

Board of Directors held on 6 November 2015 (post Shareholders’ Meeting)

The Board of Directors renewed, on the recommendation of the Nominations, Governance and CSR Committee, the duties of Ms Nicole Bouton as Chairwoman of the Nominations, Governance and CSR Committee and Chairwoman of the Compensation Committee. It also appointed Mr Wolfgang Colberg as a member of the Nominations, Governance and CSR Committee and Mr Pierre Pringuet as a member of the Compensation Committee. Finally, the Board of Directors appointed Ms Kory Sorenson as a member of the Audit Committee.

Biographies

Ms Veronica Vargas, a Spanish citizen, is a graduate of Seville’s Higher Technical School of Engineering (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros) and completed her education as an industrial engineer in management at the École Centrale Paris (ECP). Ms Veronica Vargas began her professional career in early 2007 at the Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking within the strategic funding and acquisition department based in Paris. In 2009, she joined the team in London, where she continues to advise the bank’s major clients on all aspects relating to their capital structure, and help them to secure strategic funding (acquisition, spin-offs, share repurchases, etc.).

Ms Veronica Vargas is a great-granddaughter of Mr Paul Ricard, the founder of Société Pernod Ricard.

Ms Kory Sorenson, a British citizen born in the United States, has made her career in finance, with a focus on strategy and the management of capital and risk. She holds a Masters degree in Corporate Finance and the International Capital Markets from the Institut d’Études Politiques in Paris, a Masters degree in Applied Economics from the University of Paris Dauphine and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Political Science and Econometrics from the American University in Washington, D.C. In 2013, she completed the Harvard Business School’s executive education program, Making Corporate Boards More Effective. She speaks fluent French.

Ms Kory Sorenson holds the following offices and positions:

  • Director of Phœnix Group Holdings* (UK), member of both the Audit and Remuneration Committees
  • Director of SCOR SE* (France), Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Risk; Strategy; and Crisis Management Committees
  • Member of the Supervisory Board of UNIQA Insurance Group AG* (Austria) member of both the Audit and Investment Committees
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Institut Pasteur, a non-profit, private foundation and a member of both the Audit and Investment Committees

Ms Kory Sorenson previously held the position of Managing Director, Head of Insurance Capital Markets at Barclays Capital in London, where her team conducted innovative transactions in capital management, mergers and acquisitions, as well as equity transactions, hybrid capital and risk management for major insurance companies. She previously led the team in charge of the financial markets specialising in insurance at Credit Suisse and the team in charge of debt markets for financial institutions in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands for Lehman Brothers. She began her career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and in finance at Total SA.

Ms Kory Sorenson is a member of Women Corporate Directors (Paris chapter) and the Institut Français des Administrateurs (IFA).

* Listed company

The Combined Shareholders’ Meeting was broadcasted live and can now be viewed in both French and English on the http://pernod-ricard.com website.

Shareholders’ agendas:
Americas conference – Thursday 10 December 2015
2015/16 half-year sales and results – Thursday 11 February 2016
EMEA conference – Monday 14 March 2016
2015/16 3rd quarter sales and results – Thursday 21 April 2016

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 8,558 million in 2014/15. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Kahlúa and Malibu liqueurs, Mumm and Perrier- Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, Graffigna and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 18,000 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 “Brand Companies” and 80 “Market Companies” established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.

Contacts

Pernod Ricard
Julia Massies / VP, Financial Communication & Investor Relations +33 (0)1 41 00 41 07
Sylvie Machenaud / Director External Communications +33 (0)1 41 00 42 74
Alison Donohoe / Investor Relations +33 (0)1 41 00 42 14
Emmanuel Vouin / Press Relations Manager +33 (0)1 41 00 44 04

Contacts

Pernod Ricard
Julia Massies / VP, Financial Communication & Investor Relations +33 (0)1 41 00 41 07
Sylvie Machenaud / Director External Communications +33 (0)1 41 00 42 74
Alison Donohoe / Investor Relations +33 (0)1 41 00 42 14
Emmanuel Vouin / Press Relations Manager +33 (0)1 41 00 44 04